Six months of eating roughly 1,100 calories a day and my ferritin has halved, which I did not connect to the intake until somebody pointed it out.
Cheap and worth having: ferritin, B12, vitamin D. Everything else on the deficiency list is adequately covered by a standard multivitamin at ordinary doses.
The question I want answered is which deficiencies actually show up when intake drops this far, and which are worth testing rather than supplementing blind.
Numbers rather than impressions, if you have them.
tony_orlando said:Six months of eating roughly 1,100 calories a day and my ferritin has halved, which I did not connect to the intake until somebody pointed it out.
Vitamin D levels and micronutrients: an often-overlooked connection. Obese individuals store vitamin D in adipose tissue, making it less bioavailable. As you lose fat, vitamin D can actually increase WITHOUT supplementation.
My trajectory: Baseline 18 ng/mL → Month 6 (with supplement) 42 ng/mL → Month 12 48 ng/mL. Target is 40-60 ng/mL. Adequate vitamin D supports immune function, bone health, and mood — all relevant during weight loss.
anders_CPH said:Vitamin D levels and micronutrients: an often-overlooked connection.
Vitamin and mineral labs to check while on micronutrients — my doctor orders these quarterly:
- B12: Can drop due to reduced GI absorption. Mine went from 650 to 380 — now supplementing.
- Iron/Ferritin: Reduced food intake = reduced iron. Ferritin dropped from 69 to 26. Supplementing.
- Vitamin D: Was already low (24 ng/mL), now taking 5000 IU daily.
- Folate: Stable, no issues.
- Zinc: Slightly low, added a multivitamin with zinc.
Nutritional deficiencies are a real risk when you're eating significantly less. Don't skip your labs!
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Browse GL Biochemtony_orlando said:Six months of eating roughly 1,100 calories a day and my ferritin has halved, which I did not connect to the intake until somebody pointed it out.
Can confirm. Same sequence, different timescale. I had assumed I was the exception until I read this.
From the other side of the consultation, briefly.
Iron studies on micronutrients — important especially for women:
| Marker | Baseline | Month 6 | After Supplementation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferritin | 56 | 19 | 56 |
| Iron | 86 | 61 | 89 |
| TIBC | 321 | 391 | 341 |
| Transferrin Sat | 31% | 16% | 30% |
My ferritin cratered at month 6 from reduced dietary intake. Iron bisglycinate 36mg with vitamin C brought it back up. Don't wait for anemia symptoms — test proactively.